Red Cross Impacting Lives at Tyler, TX Veteran's Home

by Heather Wedel, Communications Specialist, American Red Cross North Texas Region

This month, American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces volunteers spent time at the Watkins Logan State Veteran's Home in Tyler, TX installing wheelchair accessible raised gardening beds for the veterans.

Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) includes linking military families during times of emergency, connecting families with local community resources, providing resiliency training and supporting wounded warriors and military hospitals.

Since the partnership began between the veteran's home and the Red Cross in 2012, the Red Cross has been assigned Cottage D which houses ten veterans, two of which are bedridden, one capable of walking and the rest in wheelchairs. 

Service to the Armed Forces volunteer Julie McDaniel has been volunteering since 2012 at the home and has been hoping to provide the veterans with the raised gardening beds for the last several months. 

"The gardening beds will help get the less mobile veterans outside," said Julie. "With the gardening bed being raised, the veterans in wheelchairs can pull right up underneath it. I think this will give them a chance to feel like they have ownership of something." 

Red Cross volunteers Julie and Jim helped assemble the gardening beds

Julie often plans events for the veterans such as holiday and birthday parties, and says that she enjoys cooking for them when she gets a chance. Now Julie will be able to involve the veterans in picking fresh vegetables from the gardening beds. You can read here about Julie's dedication to the veteran's home. 

The raised gardening beds aren't all that the Red Cross has been doing at the veteran's home. Several volunteers dedicate their time to Cottage D, such as Stacy Gore who is head of the Red Cross youth club. The youth club came out to the veteran's home around Easter to hide eggs and enjoy a picnic with the men at the home. They also came during the holiday season to sing carols. 

Roger Middleton, another Red Cross volunteer has been working with one of the veterans on his dream to write and publish a novel. Roger, who is a member of the local writer's club, is helping the veteran get his work typed and saved on a computer, in hopes that the novel will one day be published. 

"We continue to be so thankful for volunteers like these year-round. The joy that these volunteers bring the veterans is such a blessing to see," stated Jennifer Cato, Services to the Armed Forces and International Services Field Specialist. "Volunteers make up more than 90 percent of the Red Cross and they're the reason we can work toward our mission."

Texas is home to 1.7 million veterans, the second largest population in the country. This week, between Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day, the Red Cross invites you to help us continue to provide vital services to thousands of military service members, veterans and their families each year, keeping military families connected during emergencies, connecting families with local resources and supporting wounded warriors and military hospitals. Join us in #HonoringHeroes. Visit Crowdrise.com/HonoringHeroes for more information.

Tweet

Veteran Dr. D'Angio Recalls Red Cross Acts of Kindness

by Heather Wedel, Communications Specialist, American Red Cross North Texas Region

World War II veteran Dr. Giulio D'Angio (now 92), former Captain and head of the 284th Medical Dispensary in the Army Air Corps was stationed on the air base of Kanoya on the southern island of Kyushu, the third largest island in Japan when he received what he calls "a pleasant surprise that the troops were still remembered in such acts of kindness."

A tradition since World War I, Red Cross volunteers would hand-knit heavy-duty wool Red Cross socks for the troops to give them warmth, a sense of home and to help prevent trench foot while at war. Dr. D'Angio states, "Trench foot was a real hazard for ground troops in active theaters."

Although Dr. D'Angio was comfortably housed, and not in high risk of getting trench foot, he still says that the Red Cross knitted socks brought a sense of comfort to him. While Dr. D'Angio was in Japan for his two years overseas, he received the socks by mail, he guesses around 1947. 

In February 2014, nearly 70 years later, Dr. D'Angio still had the Red Cross knitted socks and decided it would be best to return them to the Red Cross chapter that blessed him with them. The socks, along with Dr. D'Angio's letter written to the Red Cross Dallas Area Chapter are now framed and displayed on our Red Cross memorabilia display case.

When asked why he chose to return the socks to the Red Cross, Dr. D'Angio said, "Gratitude for your kindness. One good turn deserves another. I feared that they will be discarded when I'm gone, I'll be 93 in a few days, and I thought that they deserved a better fate."

To the volunteers that graciously knit the socks, Dr. D'Angio says, "Thanks again, and to all of those who followed, you do wonderful things for people who are in need of help."

Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Dr. D'Angio now resides in Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA with his second wife, Dr. Audrey Evans. After wearing the uniform for six years, Dr. D'Angio practiced as a radiation therapist for 50 years, specializing in childhood malignant diseases. Dr. D'Angio is a prolific author and has been honored by many national and international pediatric and radiology societies for his work.

Today, American Red Cross volunteers continue knitting and sewing for those who need comfort and protection. In our Dallas Area Chapter, our production room volunteers sew and knit blankets for children's hospitals, as well as cooling neck wraps for active soldiers made from military uniform fabric.

This week, between Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day, the Red Cross invites you to help us continue to provide vital services to thousands of military service members, veterans and their families each year, keeping military families connected during emergencies, connecting families with local resources and supporting wounded warriors and military hospitals. Join us in #HonoringHeroes. Visit Crowdrise.com/HonoringHeroes for more information.

Tweet